Architect, Bath

Grade 2 listed building designed by the Bath City Architect Major Charles Edward Davis for the hotelier Alfred Holland and built from Bath Stone, on the site of the Athenaeum in 1901. It was described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as a ‘monstrosity and an unbelievable piece of pompous architecture’. The pub is housed within what was once the Table D'Hôte Room and Supplemental Dining Room of the Empire Hotel. Built from 1899 to 1901 and designed by Major Charles Edward Davis for the hotelier Alfred Holland and his company Spiers and Pond. The site chosen was Orange Grove Court and required the demolition of various properties including the Grove Hotel, Withy & Co Soda Manufactory, the Athenaeum, Winchester House and Nassau House. Several old slaughterhouses had already been demolished. The Empire occupies a large L shaped block. It is six storeys high plus the octagonal corner tower and two basement levels. The front of the building overlooking Orange Grove has eight bays while the side overlooking the River Avon has nine bays gazing down upon Pulteney Weir. These glorious views are enjoyed by the residents who now inhabit the building since it was converted into residential use in 1996. Many of the beautiful hotel communal spaces remain to this day including the outstanding feature of the grand staircase. This was not the building's first change of use. On 2nd September 1939 it was requisitioned by the Admiralty for use in World II and it was used by the Royal Navy (later the MoD) and remained in their possession until 1989. The Admiralty used the premises for the office of the Director-General of Ships, the Common Services Department, various clerks (including the poet John Betjeman working for P Branch (the Publication Branch), typists, Interview Rooms and the Civil Establishments Branch (Personnel). A central postal sorting office was established in the Reading Room, one of the communal rooms now used as a dining room for the residents. The hotel dining room (now part of The Architect) became a British Restaurant and canteen providing subsidized meals for the town centre Admiralty establishments under the auspices of the Admiralty Luncheon Club. Major Davis' design caused quite a stir. The extraordinary roofline said to depict three classes of people; a cottage, a manor house and a castle, means that it is still a talking point today described as anything from "elegant" and "eccentric" to a "sunken architectural soufflé".